Planting Plans

Out in the Pasture, Miltank lay lazily on the grass, basking in the sun.

The Pasture's fence had an optical illusion effect: no matter how far Miltank rolled, the boundary remained out of reach.

Although she could now roll around as freely as she pleased without worrying about damaging the fence, it seemed to take some of the fun out of it.

So Miltank simply sprawled out, occasionally turning over to munch on the fresh, lush grass.

Ah, this was the life.

"Milu~"

Suddenly, a patter of footsteps came from the distance.

"We're here." Tong Hua patted Orthworm on the head, and Orthworm immediately stopped.

"There's an old Granary right here. Once we tidy it up, it should have enough room for you."

"Worm~"

Orthworm recalled the last visit to Fairy Tale Ranch, when a night had been spent sleeping in the fields under a blanket of dirt.

Now that Orthworm was officially part of the family, there was no reason to keep making do.

"Everyone, go help gather some hay. I'll get some planks to patch this place up."

As soon as Tong Hua finished speaking, all six Pokémon, including Orthworm, answered together and scattered to find suitable hay.

Tong Hua glanced at Miltank sleeping nearby and chuckled to himself.

"Now Miltank has a neighbor, too.

She shouldn't feel so lonely anymore."

Tong Hua fetched his woodcarving tools and began working on the logs he had prepared earlier.

It had rained all day yesterday, but fortunately, the logs were still fairly dry and in good condition.

Tong Hua picked up his handsaw. His profession instantly switched to Woodcarver, and he began processing the logs.

A while later, Turtwig, Minccino, and the others returned, each carrying a pile of hay. Tong Hua had finished preparing the wood as well and started repairing the Granary.

[Woodcarver: Level 10]

[Status: None]

[Experience: 240/5900]

[Profession skills: Craft, Processing, High-Speed Craft]

It was five in the afternoon by the time Tong Hua finished repairing the Granary. When he checked his profession panel, his Woodcarver level had risen to 10.

Just like Cook, it had unlocked the High-Speed Craft skill.

As for the repaired Granary, perhaps because he had used the same raw materials, it now had exactly the same Medium Optical Illusion effect as the Pokémon Cottage.

"That works, too. At least I won't have to worry about running out of space."

As he considered this, Tong Hua worked with the Pokémon to spread the hay they had gathered across the Granary floor, making a mattress for Orthworm.

"Worm!"

Once it was ready, Orthworm lay down to try it out. Orthworm's body curled into a spiral like a mosquito coil, fitting comfortably on the hay mattress.

Orthworm cried out happily, prompting Turtwig, Minccino, and the other little companions to jump onto the mattress as well.

"Game!"

The sun-dried hay gave off a warm scent as the Pokémon rolled and played in the pile.

Turtwig gathered a bundle of hay with Vine Whip and mischievously scattered it over Minccino. Not to be outdone, Minccino swept that fluffy tail through the pile, sending up a shower of hay.

"Ama!" Bounsweet bounced around in the hay, the leaves overhead spinning and stirring it into the air. The two Celebi chased the drifting hay, letting out clear peals of laughter now and then.

Miltank ambled over and poked her head into the Granary curiously. At the lively scene inside, her round eyes immediately lit up.

"Milu~" Miltank gently nudged Tong Hua's back with her nose.

"You're awake?" Tong Hua smiled and stepped aside. "Go on, go play with everyone."

Miltank gave a cheerful cry and flopped onto the hay pile, sprawling out fully. The soft hay immediately sank into a large hollow, cradling her comfortably.

The seven Pokémon played together happily. Leaning against the doorway, Tong Hua watched the heartwarming scene and murmured to himself.

"What a shame I don't have anything on hand to capture this. Still, a beautiful moment that exists only in my memories, something that's mine alone... when I think of it that way, it's not so bad."

As the sun sank toward the west, Tong Hua watched the Pokémon playing in the Granary, a gentle smile unwittingly curling his lips.

Before long, everyone had played their fill. Tong Hua painted the words "Orthworm's Home" in large letters on the Granary's door sign.

"Orthworm, welcome to Fairy Tale Ranch once again. From now on, we're family."

Delighted, Orthworm extended several bristles, turning them into arms, and shook hands with everyone present.

"Well, let's not waste any time. Since we have a new member joining us, I'll share our ranch's next development plans with everyone."

Tong Hua clapped his hands. The Pokémon immediately quieted down and listened attentively.

"As you all know, our ranch used to be abandoned, so a lot of its basic infrastructure is lacking. Over the next few days, I'll focus on renovating the roads and some important facilities.

I'd like everyone to lend me a hand with that. Especially Orthworm and Turtwig. You're both very strong, and Orthworm, your body is perfect for leveling roads."

"Worm!" "Game!" The two Pokémon he had named raised their hands at the same time. Their meaning needed no explanation.

"Right, I've decided to pave the roads with stone slabs. I'll go look for some tomorrow. As for renovating the facilities, the first task will naturally be tearing down the remaining old cottages and rebuilding them according to Mr. Xiang Shi's designs.

I'll handle most of that myself. It's also preparation for bringing more companions to the ranch in the future."

"Milu~" At the mention of renovating the Pokémon Cottage and bringing in more companions, Miltank was the first to raise her hand in approval.

Once there were more Pokémon in the Pasture, she would be their big sister!

"Then there's the second point: our ranch's production. At the moment, Miltank still has the toughest job, producing large quantities of Moomoo Milk every day." As he spoke, Tong Hua gently stroked Miltank's round head.

"But!" Feeling several gazes on him, Tong Hua hurriedly changed tack. "Turtwig, Minccino, and Bounsweet, you three have been doing a wonderful job tending the fields, too!

And the Celebi have also been a tremendous help."

Seeing every Pokémon he had mentioned nod in agreement, Tong Hua secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

I almost walked into another minefield...

"Still, we can't get too comfortable. Today, I'm setting a goal for all of us: save up twenty million League Coins before summer arrives, install tap water filtration and power generation equipment at our Tong Hua Ranch, and build everyone a modern new home with air conditioning and a professional kitchen!"

The moment Tong Hua finished speaking, the entire Granary fell silent. Apart from Turtwig and Minccino, all the Pokémon looked thoroughly confused. They had no concept of what twenty million meant.

"Wor... worm?" Orthworm's bristle arms traced a huge question mark.

"Uh... basically, we need to increase the ranch's income.

So the first thing that comes to mind is expanding our fields. We still have some of the various seeds the Village Chief gave us. Since the sun hasn't set yet, let's all use the time we have left to clear some more farmland!"

Fairy Tale Ranch's current half-mu field lay between the back of the Wooden Cabin and the Orchard. The only way to expand it was sideways, clearing land on the other side of the water channel.

In any case, Tong Hua, as the ranch owner, had laid out a goal and a plan, so everyone naturally followed his lead and got to work.

When it came to clearing farmland, Orthworm was naturally the best at it.

Orthworm burrowed into the earth, opened that enormous mouth, and swallowed all the red soil below, surging forward and turning up one furrow after another.

Behind Orthworm, Tong Hua and the other Pokémon tidied up the planting beds.

Parsnips, cauliflower, rhubarb, garlic, mung beans, and strawberries. Tong Hua planted all six kinds of seeds.

Everyone worked until sunset before finally finishing the new fields.

Including the original half-mu plot, Fairy Tale Ranch now had a total of three mu of cultivated land.

Doubling the area meant doubling the time spent watering every day, but this was work they had to put in to increase their income.

Besides, that was something to worry about starting tomorrow.

For now, it was time for dinner.